When you take steps to have good Internet security, you are doing maintenance to prevent infection, such as viruses, spyware, and adware. The following maintenance steps can be taken by anyone who uses a PC running Windows XP or an earlier Windows operating system.

1. Anti-virus software: This type of software must be current. When yours is about to expire, be prepared to renew or get another brand of anti-virus software, with no lapse in coverage. You must update this software frequently. You can do it manually, or set it to update automatically. A scan should be performed regularly.

2. Anti-Spyware software. If you have purchased a product like Webroot’s SpySweeper, the same procedures outlined above apply: Stay current, update, and scan. If you use Windows Defender, it is not necessary to renew every year, but it is necessary to do updates and scan.

3. Firewall. A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that monitors what information leaves and enters a computer. The same procedures outlined above apply: Stay current, update, and scan. The best firewall, ZoneAlarm, is somewhat technical because it asks you whether to allow programs to access your system. You might need some technical phone support to decide whether or not to allow it. ZoneAlarm charges $4 per minute for technical support. CompuWiz only charges $3 per minute: (707) 541-7321.

4. Windows Updates. If you are running Windows XP, or any other version of Windows, it must be updated regularly for security reasons. Warning: doing all of your Windows updates can cause glitches. For a phone consult on which updates to do, call (707) 541-7321.

When you have set software to update automatically, it is still important to check it periodically, to make sure the updates are taking place on a regular basis. The same is true for scans. Happy computing!